Sammi Poole. Photo / TVNZ, Matt Klitscher
Now she’s ready for redemption, and says she can only see the positives of being on Love Island.
“I’ve been single now for four years, and the idea of making heaps of friends and potentially meeting someone I might have a romantic interest in, it was too many pros to not say ‘yes’ to.”
Poole applied for the show four years ago, but the timing was not right. But this time she says the stars aligned.
“At the time I’d come out of a relationship, and the application never went anywhere. So when the show came up this time, it was a very full-circle moment.
“It wasn’t meant for me four years ago, but it was meant for me now.”
Poole says she had to apply for the show like everyone else, but the producers contacted her in what she calls “a perfectly aligned situation”.
“I had to say yes. The last few years, I have been a bit of a ‘yes’ girl. Every opportunity that comes up, I’m like, ‘It’s meant for me. I have to just say yes and do it’.”
Fans will be eager to see how the former beauty queen and charity advocate handles the drama of the dating format.
Sammi won two Miss New Zealand titles in two years.
Poole was crowned Miss International New Zealand 2024 and Miss World New Zealand 2025, and placed in the top 16 of the final competition.
She has used her platform to create her own charity and raise awareness about scoliosis. She was diagnosed with the condition when she was 13. She previously told the Herald she wanted to be a role model for young people with the condition.
Poole believes appearing on Love Island gives her the opportunity to show a different side.
“Miss New Zealand was a great journey for me, but that’s not all I am,” Poole says.
“Sometimes it’s scary showing the duality of a woman.”
She is not concerned about the show’s reputation damaging her own.
“I can be a role model, and I can be what every girl thinks is good, but I can also do something for me that makes me happy.
“Sometimes you fit someone in a box, and I didn’t want to be stuck in that box just because of everyone’s expectations. There are many sides to me. Which the show will obviously showcase, and I don’t want only one side of me to be shown and people to think that’s just me.”
New Zealanders Keanu Wainohu and Sammi Poole have been cast on Love Island Australia Season 8.
Filming has finished and, without giving away any spoilers, Poole says she has no regrets.
“I’m very proud of myself. I’ve stayed true to myself. And I think everyone can expect a great season. There’s so much this season that has never happened before, so I’m looking forward to watching it.”
Poole won’t rule out returning to reality TV for a third time.
“I never expected to do Treasure Island, and I never expected to do Love Island. So, if there’s another island coming up, who knows?”
But she would never walk down the aisle and take the ultimate reality risk in Married at First Sight. “Oh God, no, definitely not,” she says with a laugh.
Poole isn’t the only Kiwi castaway on Love Island Australia.
Former Newcastle Knights league player Keanu Wainohu-Kemp (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) is also looking for love.
Wainohu-Kemp grew up in Gisborne and moved to Australia when he was 17 to chase his league dream.
He signed a contract with NRL club North Queensland Cowboys while still at Gisborne Boys’ High, to play at junior level. He later moved to the Newcastle Knights and played 14 games in the U20s reserve grade.
Since hanging up his boots, the 25-year-old has been working as a tradie in Sydney before finding his way into the Love Island villa.
Love Island Australia premieres on TVNZ+ today.